The Egg

I finally weaned myself off the internet. 

In between running errands for the 'rents (they were here for a week) and making up for lost time with Person A, I can happily report that real life is more fab than sitting on my white chair and spend the time lurking the internet. 

In one of my grocery runs, I came across a huuugggeee egg in the chiller.

An ostrich egg, available in the grocery store! I thought they're just available in the ostrich farms. This particular egg weighs 1.5kg and retails at PhP 1300! My mind went: I should buy this and make some omelette. Person A suggested making hard-boiled egg out of it. For the former, the main concern is where to source out a drill since the shell is 0.06 in thick! And the latter, it takes 1.5 hours to cook it in boiling water.We contented ourselves touching and holding the egg. Low EQ!

What are the interesting facts inside this shell?

1. It contains 2000 calories. That's enough to feed 5 of me.

2. An ostrich hen can remain productive for 25-35 years. That's a lot of 1-kg eggs, ostrich feathers for the Brit's fascinators, and an ostrich hide for your bag at the end of its life. 

3. Obviously, this is the largest egg from a living bird.

According to my research, ostrich eggs make good omelette and scrambled egg as it is fluffier than chicken eggs. If you're interested to buy some, you may catch this egg at Rustan's Supermarkets. 

Benny's

However they say that one shouldn't go to the grocery when one is hungry, in Pinoy culture, grocery shopping and eating out almost always go together.


Who can resist the squidballs, shawarma, hotdogs, take-away pizzas offered by the stalls right across the cashier?


In true Rustan's fashion, they have a French bakeshop (x10 ang presyo kumpara sa bakery sa kanto!),  a delicatessen, a fresh salad shop that has a price point cheaper than SM's (Mr. Sy and I don't have much love between us. He doesn't know.) and Benny's - a filipino restaurant.





I believe it's named after Amb. Bienvenido Tantoco.


Going back to my opening statement, I was hungry after doing my grocery rounds and since Person A was with me, hindi-tayo-magddiyeta-ngayon is definitely on the menu.


Ensaladang Mangga.





A fusion of white onions, crispy red tomatoes, and green mangoes with sweet-salty bagoong. Yum!


Sisig.





The classic Pampanga fare is crispy, fresh tasting, and different from the one served by Gerry's/Dencio's but not distinct enough so that you can write home about it. 


Rice.

This deserves a few words because of 2 things: (1) the banana leaf wrapping rendered appetizing flavor to the rice (2) Food presentation: puso is definitely  how cooked rice is sold in Visayas and Mindanao.


Iced tea.





It's brewed, refreshing and tastes like sweetened by honey. It pairs well with the sisig and doesn't taste like powdered drink.


Black out chocolate cake.

Moist, oreo-covered at hindi nakakaumay. They sell cakes at single serving (mini layer) and by the layer.


In summary:


1. We love the place because of its ambiance and the food is value-for-money. Despite the heavy foot traffic in the area, it looks distant from where we were seated, one cannot hear the conversation in the next table and the white and warm lighting are welcoming.


2. Price point is around PhP 100 for appetizer, PhP 200-300 for the viand, PhP 70 for the drinks, and around PhP 80 for the dessert. You get to spend around PhP 200 - PhP 300 per person.


3. Cakes sell at around PhP 500 a layer. I enjoy giving cakes and I've been looking for shops which sell them at PhP 500 and below. If I am a billionaire, I'd prefer Mandarin Oriental Cafe and Deli's cakes and desserts day in and day out. However, I am not. I am excited to try Benny's desserts.














Benny's
Rustan's Makati